Perhaps the Greatest Loss of the 2006 Election

The Constitution Loses a Friend

Rob Burkes
With the close of the 109th Congress, the American people, The Constitution of the United States, and the worldwide movement for civil rights loses a champion. It is a sad day for our nation...a nation which has suffered more than its share of sad days during the past six years. Cynthia McKinney leaves Congress, where she so diligently defended the Constitution and the rule of law as the Representative from Georgia's Fourth Congressional District. Ms. McKinney was probably the only true representative of the people serving in Congress for many years. If this were not true, where were the others who would suffer the assassination of their political careers without wavering from their duty, without retreating from their oath of office, without surrendering their honor? I can think of none. Ms. McKinney fell victim to an "open primary" system in the state of georgia (capitals omitted intentionally)...as this system of electoral process which allows voters from one party to shape the outcome of the other party's primary if they, in fact, do not feel that they can produce a winning candidate, could only be conceived in a very small state indeed. Even as she had to realize that she was digging her own political grave by standing up for truth and transparency in government and business, Ms. McKinney did not back away from her convictions, but asked for a bigger shovel. If you put every other member of Congress, every Senator, and every Justice on the Supreme Court together, you could not squeeze ten percent of her courage and moral conviction from the lot. Over the years, Ms. McKinney has ofttimes been quoted in the mainstream American press as saying some pretty radical, sometimes downright inflammatory things. In truth, most of the quotes attributed to her were never uttered. She did question the abandonment of the Constitution by the Bush administration and their blatant lack of regard for the law. She opposed the Military Tribunals Act of 2006, which was tailored to the Bush administration's wishes to bypass the Constitution, Public Law, International Law and the Geneva Conventions in regard to treatment of "illegal combatants" as so loosely defined by the Bushists. She opposed the overextensions that the Bush administration continues to take regarding the Presidential War Powers. Ms. McKinney was the strongest link in a severely eroded chain holding the separation of powers placed by our Constitution on our government for the protection of the people intact. If there is not a new champion to pick up her sword and continue her fight in the new Congress come January, God help us and our nation. Pray that a freshman Congressperson or Senator will continue in Cynthia McKinney's footsteps. It is obvious from historical record that none of the incumbents returning next year have either the courage or the love of this nation, nor a heartfelt sense of obligation to preserve and defend The Constitution of The United States as they will oh, so solemnly vow to do in January, to stand any moral ground if the going gets the least bit uncomfortable. The Honorable Cynthia McKinney shall be sorely missed...by those who love what this nation once tried to be. Oh well...

Published by Rob Burkes

I was born in Texas and traveled quite a lot my entire life. I have always been both a travel and political junky. I write political commentary, travel articles and promotional copy.  View profile

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  • Ninigurl1/8/2007

    Does anyone ever wonder if George Junior read a little too much into Orwell's "1984?" Some days I feel like Big Brother is watching over me just a tad too much. I mean I want to be safe and all but, crap - get over it! The scare tactics are getting old in Washington and I want my tax dollars to go for something in THIS country for once.

  • AZSun1/2/2007

    WTG ROB

  • Daniel Doyle1/1/2007

    it must be perspective...or perhaps lack of it or maybe some intertangling of personal prejudice along with perspective. In view of that, please accept me as I say that many of the qualities you assign to your Ms McKinney are the very things I find in George W. Bush, whom you have lauded as a poor man. I guess it just goes to show you... perspective/prejudices. They rule.

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